


Favorite Things

by rabidchild67



Category: Star Trek RPF
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-03-03 20:26:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2886416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rabidchild67/pseuds/rabidchild67
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the prompt: Zach loves New York during Christmastime and wishes Chris was there with him</p>
            </blockquote>





	Favorite Things

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sidnihoudini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidnihoudini/gifts).



“That’ll be eight dollars,” the young woman says, handing Zach what amounts to a shot of wheat grass juice. He digs his wallet out of his jeans and forks over the cash, then pauses to down the juice like it’s a shot of tequila, complete with an exaggerated, breathless, “Smooooth!” as he chucks the plastic cup into the nearby trashcan. The woman stares at him as if he’s insane and hands him his change. 

Zach slinks away, properly chagrined by her hipster disdain, then laughs at himself. God, if Chris was here, he’d be laughing too. Laughing at the idea of eight bucks for what amounts to an ounce of lawn clippings, laughing at Zach traipsing his way through the Greenmarket with his net bag filled with organic, locally sourced turnips and whatnot, laughing in general.

On his way out, he comes upon a stand selling a wide variety of Christmas-themed items, from the sublime to the ridiculous, hold the sublime. The place is a riot of red and gold and green, with an entire wall dedicated to themed nutcrackers. He notices one of them is fashioned to look like [Spock](http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--XxggsVvv--/18mjw9l9f11yyjpg.jpg), and he is so taken aback by its incongruousness, he stares at it for more than a minute. 

_“Buy it, I dare you,”_ he imagines Chris saying.

 _“What, are you kidding? Even I’m not that egocentric,”_ he would probably respond.

_“You sure?”_

He leaves before he does something he regrets (like buy it), and heads for the door. He’s got an appointment with some suits at NBC for a series _Before the Door_ is pitching, and if he leaves now he’ll be able to take the subway.

\----

Zach stares out the window of the 14th-floor conference room at Rockefeller Center, where he’s meeting with a pair of young development execs for NBC, because they told him he could see the tree from here. They were right – if you sit on the windowsill and press your cheek up against the glass, you can just make out the glittering lights. The fact he didn’t rate a meeting in a room with a better view isn’t lost on him, but he’s finding it difficult to care. The meeting is a formality; the network doesn't want to blow off a movie star even if they're clearly not interested in the project. Anyway, Neal has it on excellent authority they’re to expect an offer from HBO after the New Year.

After his meeting, Zach finds himself at street level with a much better view of the tree. Three days before Christmas and the place is a mob scene despite the near-constant rain that’s been falling for the last couple of days. The sight gives him a thrill despite the gloomy skies, as it’s done since he first came here years ago. He finds himself wishing Chris was here to share it with; he’d opted to be with family this year and Zach doesn’t blame him. He still misses him.

 _“I’ve seen it before,”_ Chris would say. _“What more is there to see?”_

 _“It’s a tradition!”_ Zach imagines himself responding.

_“It’s a symbol of the rampant commercialism that plagues the holiday, and it’s cold and crowded here, and I want to leave.”_

Zach wonders when his mind-Chris got to be so grumpy.

He decides to head even further uptown to hit Zabar’s for some comfort food for the week. If he’s this far from home, he might as well go all the way. Predictably, the place is beyond crowded, but he chooses to be amused by it, absorbing the holiday bonhomie and letting it buoy him along. 

It was probably a mistake coming here when he was hungry, but he’ll probably not really regret it much. He browses slowly, selecting things as they appeal to him. He’s waiting in line at the deli counter when he glances down at his basket full of goodies – chocolate babka, a variety of cheeses, two kinds of soup, a loaf of marble rye, some of that champagne mustard Chris likes… and that’s when it hits him that everything he’s chosen, every single item right down to those stupid dark chocolate non-pareils he doesn’t even particularly like, is Chris’s favorite. 

Shaking his head, he pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of it all, which he texts to Chris with the message, “Thinking of /you/?”

Chris responds immediately: _Where RU?_

_I should think that’s pretty obvious._

_Duh. I meant when are U getting home?_

_Why?_

_Because Noah and his snowman bandannna miss U._

Zach pauses – he’d literally put that bandanna on the dog that morning. There’s only one way Chris would know that. _When did you get in?_ he texts back.

_An hour ago._

_What about Christmas in Cali? Won’t your folks be mad?_

_Their OK. I’ll head back on Saturday. I wanted to see U._

Zach is suddenly filled with warmth. _I’m getting the next cab I see,_ he texts.

_Not before grabbing some corned beef, I hope. I’m starving._

Zach rolls his eyes, but then his number is called and he orders a whole pound of the stuff, among other things. He’s in line to check out when he texts Chris once more: _I can’t believe you’re here :) This is such a great surprise._

_UR always saying how great Nyc is at Christmas, I thought I’d make you show me around._

Zach’s mind races when he thinks of all they could do – Radio City, the ice rink in Central Park, maybe even _The Nutcracker_. He’s about to call in a few favors to try to get tickets when his phone buzzes with another text from Chris.

 _Or, you know, we could stay in,_ he says, and then a photo appears. Chris is sitting on Zach’s bed with a comical come-hither expression on his face.

Zach looks back into his shopping basket and wonders if it’s enough food to last until Saturday.


End file.
